


Phantasma

by snarechan



Category: Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 07:36:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9983120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarechan/pseuds/snarechan
Summary: Squall was careful to be suspicious of everyone, to not be overly trusting, but sometimes he's still taken by surprise.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was going to be a submission for the LJ community let-it-loose-df, but what I ended up writing didn't fit most of the request (Squall/Tidus, with Squall finding out that Tidus was once on the side of Chaos and Tidus acting "yandere" iirc?). Looking back at the piece I still like it, so I proofread the fic and Keppiehed was kind enough to edit the story for me.

" _He is his father's son, through and through_ ," Ultimecia had said of Tidus, practically tittering at the admission. " _No matter how he may struggle, there is a darkness in him even the sun cannot reach. Chaos' taint is not a catalyst, but an encouragement."_

Squall had listened, in that calculating way only he knew how – observing everything critically for importance. He'd dismissed that admittance as another one of the witch's lies. She was full of them, and her penchant for manipulation superseded all else.

Dismissed didn't mean _forgotten_ , however. He'd learned the arduous way that no information was truly useless. Looking back, perhaps Squall shouldn't have been so hasty to reject her claims.

She'd continued, her voice reverberating close to his ear like an itch Squall couldn't reach as she said, " _Jecht sowed the seeds of desperation as his legacy, but your…_ friend ... _cultivated such desires all his own. We merely let him flourish._ "

Squall turned his back on Ultimecia then, gunblade tapping on his shoulder, and threatened to cut her down if she didn't stop spouting nonsense. The promise of a painful demise hadn't deterred her then, just as Squall's skill with his weapon hadn't intimidated these manikins in the present. Now he was surrounded by four of them, each impersonating Ultimecia's annoyances too well.

He'd disposed of the first with several rapid-fire shots to the chest area. Its remains knocked back a second to buy him the opportunity to deal with the last two. An imitation's spell collided with one of his own, and the resounding explosion sent him hurtling backwards into an unforgiving surface. The monster was damaged, as well, but there were still a total of three that stood against him.

Planting the honed tip of his gunblade into the ground, he levered himself to his feet. Squall braced a twinge in his with his arm. His fall had been awkward, and something was out of place amongst his ribs. Gritting his teeth, he prepared to use the wall in place of a crutch and rely on the long distance his weapon provided to stave off the enemy.

Instead, a giant white and blue ball hurtled from overhead. The force of it connected with a manikin's head and shattered it into pieces. In a heap, the monster collapsed without the chance to scream its death throes. The remaining mimics refocused their attention above Squall. From his angle he couldn't see the newcomer, though the distinct attack made it obvious that Tidus had found him.

As further proof, the Ace came into Squall's field of view as he leapt from the outcropping. During his descent a manikin raised a hand and fired purple barbs of energy. Squall intended to call out a warning, but his voice caught in his throat.

Tidus pointed his sword downward. It sliced cleanly through most of the projectiles, and the one or two that bypassed it barely nicked him. He impaled the manikin on his landing. In a practiced motion, Tidus twisted on his heel and straightened. The action was fluid, as if conducted in water and not on land. The manikin teleported out of the way of the first cut, appearing behind him, and Squall looked at Tidus' face as he turned to intercept the attack.

" _That child, he's_ _akin to a nightmare that lingers past the dawn._ _Yes…_ " Ultimecia said, appearing in thought as she started to warp out of his presence. " _A nightmare. Very appropriate, I think you'll find._ "

Squall understood what speaking of his father did to Tidus, but that didn't stop him from breaching the topic. Tidus' irritation and determination were obvious in those moments. He'd crack his knuckles and fume for minutes, but he could only burn bright for so long. Nothing else compared to that slip in temper.

Except for his expression. Squall sucked in his next breath and held it when he caught the snarl contorting Tidus' face. Care was replaced with calculation and humor to _hatred._ For a split second Squall's grip on his weapon tightened out of a tiny bit of something too close to fear.

While still wearing that same face, he eliminated the last threat. The manikin impaled itself on his sword when he'd moved to countermeasure, catching it off-guard with his swift retaliation. The monster struggled and tried to claw at Tidus' face, but a rough twist of the weapon still within its body ended things. Its cries echoed into the empty air.

" _Beware that which feeds from within, little lion man, lest your waking moments are also consumed. Once the night terrors take hold there is no escape._ "

Squall flinched at the touch on his face, startled to find Tidus inches from staring into his eyes. Any signs of his earlier display were null, save for the sweat coating his brow. It was as if the fight had never happened.

"Hey," he murmured, "I asked if you're okay. Did one of those things hurt you? How badly?"

Shaking his head, Squall freed himself from the light soldier's ministrations. Tidus' hand lingered before collapsing back at his side. Squall said, "It's nothing I can't handle. Don't worry about it."

Tidus huffed, albeit smiling dryly, and stowed his sword to free up his hands to reside behind his head. "Right, right. I should have figured as much."

He didn't reply, not trusting himself to say the same thing.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my [writing blog on Tumblr](http://snaurus.tumblr.com/) for more content!


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